Various devices have been proposed for coiling and storing garden hoses. By and large, what you have when you are finished is an unsightly tangle that hangs on the side of the house or can be hidden away in a shed or garage.
It is an object of this invention to provide a storage device that can also serve as a decorative accessory for lawn or garden. The storage device of the present invention comprises a bottom portion that receives the garden hose, a top portion that is connected to the bottom portion by a clam shell hinge to provide access to the hose. The top portion is preferably a fanciful character, for example, a galapagos tortoise, so that the storage device can be left out in the yard as a decoration. A center post defines a recess into which the garden hose can be stored by coiling or, in one embodiment, serves as a mount for a reel upon which the garden hose can be wound.
In the deluxe model employing the reel, a short section of hose is attached to a female rotary fitting extending downwardly inside the center post and a male rotary fitting extends through a slot in the side of the reel and provides an attachment point for the stored garden hose. The upper male fitting can rotate relative to the lower female fitting to permit the reel and the upper mail fitting to be rotated to coil the hose onto the reel. The upper male fitting is sealed relative to the lower stationary female fitting by a pair of O-rings to prevent leakage between the relatively rotating members. Four tortoise feet can be attached to the bottom portion to enhance the tortoise-like appearance and four U-shaped anchor pins can be hammered through the bottom portion into the ground to keep the storage container in place. This storage device is available from EMSCO Inc., Girard, Pa., assignee of the present invention and is being marketed as HOSE HIDERS.TM. hose reel/lawn storage system. This particular tortoise design is marketed as DARWIN.TM. galapagos tortoise.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following description of the invention.